Audi SQ7

The Audi Q7 is the brand's large seven-seat SUV, launched in 2005. For more than ten years, it had no S-line performance version. That changed in 2016 with the SQ7 TDI, which debuted as the world's most powerful diesel SUV and brought a first for a production car: an electric compressor to eliminate turbo lag.

Since then, the SQ7 has gone through two phases within the second-generation Q7 (Typ 4M): the diesel phase, with the 4.0 V8 TDI, and the gasoline phase, with the 4.0 V8 TFSI. In 2026, the third-generation Q7 brought a new SQ7 with almost 600 hp.

Below, we cover each phase and facelift, the engines, the model's technology and the SQ7's presence in its main markets, including Brazil.

The first-generation Q7 (Typ 4L, 2005–2015) had no SQ7. Its most powerful version was the Q7 V12 TDI, launched in 2008, which already showed the idea of a large SUV with a very powerful diesel engine.

• Engine: 6.0 V12 twin-turbo TDI, with 500 PS and 1,000 Nm.
• Position: It was a low-volume flagship version, not an S-line model.

After the V12 ended, Audi did not offer a high-performance Q7 again until the SQ7, in the second generation.

Launch

The SQ7 TDI was unveiled in March 2016, and European orders opened that spring. In Germany, it started at €89,900. At the time, Audi billed it as the world's most powerful diesel SUV.

• Base: Second-generation Q7 (Typ 4M), on the MLB Evo platform, with a multi-material body and many outer panels in aluminum.
• Plant: Bratislava, Slovakia, alongside the Q7.
• Seating: Five or seven, with an electrically folding third row.
• Dimensions: 5.07 m (199.6 in) long, with a Cd of 0.34.

Engine: 4.0 V8 TDI with Electric Compressor

• Engine: 4.0 V8 TDI (3,956 cc) with two sequential turbochargers: at low revs only one works, and the second joins when the engine needs more air.
• Power and torque: 435 PS (429 hp) and 900 Nm (664 lb-ft), available from 1,000 to 3,250 rpm.
• Electric compressor (EPC): It was the world's first production car with this part. Driven by an electric motor of up to 7 kW, it forces air into the engine in under 0.25 seconds, before the turbos spool up. This keeps the car responsive even at low revs.
• Performance: 0–100 km/h in 4.8 seconds and a top speed limited to 250 km/h (155 mph).
• Fuel use: 7.4 liters per 100 km on the European cycle of the time (NEDC).
• Gearbox and drive: 8-speed Tiptronic automatic and quattro all-wheel drive with a self-locking center differential.

48-Volt Electrical System

To power the electric compressor, the SQ7 introduced a second, 48-volt electrical system at Audi, with a 470 Wh lithium-ion battery under the trunk floor.

• Electromechanical active roll stabilization (eAWS): An option that also used the 48 volts. Electric motors in the anti-roll bars, with up to 1,200 Nm of force, reduced body lean in corners and improved comfort on straights.
• Optional package: Besides eAWS, it included a sport rear differential (which sends more power to the outer wheel in a corner) and rear-wheel steering.

Chassis and Styling

• Suspension: Standard adaptive air suspension with a sport tune.
• Wheels: 20-inch as standard, with 285/45 tires.
• Award: Named "Innovator of the Year" by British magazine Autocar.

Production Pause (2018)

In April 2018, Audi stopped SQ7 TDI production. The engine did not meet the new Euro 6c emissions standard, which adopted the WLTP test cycle, and had to be adapted. The model only returned with the 2019 facelift.

In July 2019, together with the Q7 facelift, Audi presented the updated SQ7 TDI. Orders opened at the end of July and sales started in September 2019.

• Engine: The same 4.0 V8 TDI, now adapted to the new rules, keeping 435 PS, 900 Nm and the electric compressor. 0–100 km/h stayed at 4.8 seconds.
• Styling: Double-slat grille, aluminum-look mirror caps, new bumpers and four round exhaust tips.
• Brakes: 400 mm front and 370 mm rear discs, with optional ceramic brakes.
• Interior: New dual-touchscreen MMI system, Virtual Cockpit with an S-specific display and sport seats.
• Price in Germany: €94,900 (five seats) and €96,420 (seven seats).

This was the last diesel SQ7. Less than a year later, it was replaced by the gasoline version.

United States (2020)

The SQ7 was never sold in the US with a diesel engine. For the American market, Audi created a version with the 4.0 TFSI twin-turbo gasoline V8, which arrived as a 2020 model in the spring of that year.

• Power and torque: 500 hp (507 PS) and 568 lb-ft (770 Nm).
• Performance: 0–60 mph in 4.3 seconds.
• Standard equipment: Seven seats, air suspension, rear-wheel steering, 21-inch wheels and a 19-speaker 3D sound system.
• Price: From $84,800 (Premium Plus) and $90,400 (Prestige).

Europe (2020): The End of the Diesel

In July 2020, Audi replaced the diesel with the gasoline V8 in Europe as well, in both the SQ7 and SQ8. The brand gave no official reason, but the change came as diesel's image was declining and emissions rules were getting stricter.

• Engine: 4.0 TFSI twin-turbo V8, a less powerful version of the RS Q8 engine.
• Power and torque: 507 PS and 770 Nm. Compared with the TDI, it gained 72 PS but lost 130 Nm of torque.
• Cylinder deactivation: Under low and medium load, the engine shuts down four of its eight cylinders to save fuel.
• Performance: 0–100 km/h in 4.1 seconds, 0.7 seconds quicker than the TDI. Top speed limited to 250 km/h.
• Chassis: In Europe, air suspension, rear-wheel steering, active roll stabilization (eAWS) and the sport differential became standard.
• Price: €93,287 in Germany.

Second Facelift (2024)

In January 2024, the Q7 received its second facelift, and the SQ7 followed. The mechanicals were unchanged.

• Styling: New grille, redesigned air intakes and headlights split into two sections, inspired by the Q8.
• Lighting: Standard Matrix LED headlights, optional HD Matrix LED headlights with laser high beam, digital daytime running lights with selectable signatures and OLED taillights with four designs.
• Interior: Updated infotainment with apps such as Spotify and Amazon Music, plus new driver-assistance features.
• Engine: The same 4.0 TFSI V8 with 507 PS and 770 Nm, and 0–100 km/h in 4.1 seconds.
• US price: From $90,800 for the 2025 model.

In June 2026, Audi revealed the third-generation Q7, more than ten years after the previous one, and presented a new SQ7 for the US alongside it.

• Engine: Revised 4.0 twin-turbo V8.
• Power and torque: 591 hp (about 600 PS) and 590 lb-ft (about 800 Nm), the most powerful SQ7 yet.
• Performance: 0–60 mph in 3.7 seconds, according to Audi.
• Drive: Rear-biased quattro that can send nearly all of its power to the rear axle, with an electronically controlled rear differential.
• Suspension: Standard adaptive air suspension, with an optional lower sport version.
• Towing: Up to 7,700 lb (about 3,500 kg).
• Arrival: US dealerships in the fourth quarter of 2026. Pricing has not been announced.

In Europe, the new Q7 launched only with mild-hybrid 3.0 V6 diesel engines. The new SQ7's arrival in Europe has not yet been confirmed.

Production Numbers

Audi does not disclose how many SQ7s were built. The model was always a low-volume version within the Q7 range, which helps explain the 2018 pause: Audi chose to adapt the engines of better-selling models first.

Engine by Market

• Europe: TDI diesel from 2016 to 2020 and TFSI gasoline from 2020.
• United States: TFSI gasoline only, from the 2020 model year. In 2026, it received the new third-generation SQ7.
• Other markets: Countries such as South Africa also received the TDI version.

We found no record of the SQ7 being officially sold in Brazil, in either diesel or gasoline form. Among its large combustion SUVs, Audi do Brasil chose to bring the RS Q8 as its performance option.

In Brazil, the Q7 was offered with simpler engines. The second facelift arrived in September 2024, with the 340 PS 3.0 TFSI V6 and a starting price of R$ 692,000.

Master Specification Table

The SQ7 began as a technology showcase. With its electric compressor, 48-volt system and active roll stabilization, the SQ7 TDI introduced solutions later used in many other Volkswagen Group cars.

The switch from diesel to gasoline in 2020 showed how emissions rules and diesel's image changed the European market. The SQ7 became more powerful and quicker, but lost the huge torque and economy that defined the first version.

With the new 2026 generation and almost 600 hp, the SQ7 remains the sportiest version of Audi's seven-seat SUV, even without an official presence in Brazil.